From: John De Armond
Subject: Re: Cockroaches
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 20:21:47 EST
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

Pineywoods wrote:
> 
> I started using combat gel. I get it at Wal-Mart and it is cheap it comes in
> about a six inch syringe type dispenser and will treat an RV or trailer for
> 3 years.  It is the best stuff I've ever seen they leave over night and stay
> gone. And it doesn't take much. just a little her and a little there..Works
> every time Just treat about every 6-8 months and they'll stay gone.

I've found that to work quite well too.  I'm continually at war with
the roaches in my restaurant, as most food supplies come in infested
with 'em, particularly potatoes.  It takes a multi-layer approach to
get rid of 'em and keep 'em out.

First off, one must realize that any treatment regime must be
undertaken long enough to not only wipe out the existing population
but also the babies from egg sacs that have been deposited.  This
requires about 2 weeks.

I do the following:

Any restaurant equipment, particularly used equipment, is opened up
for inspection and treatment.  Roaches love to set up nests inside
the warm interior of equipment, especially microwaves.  I use the
gel inside the cabinets and I fumigate with a pyrethrin-based
insecticide.  This stuff is made from the pollen of the
chrysanthemum and is non-toxic to warm-blooded animals and is USDA
approved for food establishments.  I get it from the farm supply
store.

New cases of potatoes are stored outside after fumigation until all
the little guests are dead.

The attic of the restaurant was loaded with about 100 lbs of boric
acid during the remodel.

Any openings that cannot be sealed are squirted with the gel.  

The combat roach motels are put almost everywhere there is moisture
and the possibility of food particles.

The floor around and under equipment and around the outside the
building are sprayed with a USDA approved insecticide once a month.

About once a month, the sewer manhole cover in the street is lifted
and an industrial strength insecticide sprayed in the collector
pit.  This has completely and totally shut off ingress of roaches
from the sewer.

All sewer vent pipes are covered with screen wire to keep sewer
roaches from escaping onto the building that way.

This might sound extreme but we are deadly serious about vermin
control.  Pretty much everything except the sewer treatment applies
to an RV in storage.  Anything that is warm and moist will harbor
roaches and once they deposit egg sacs, they've started a colony
that is very difficult to get rid of.

John